812 G Street
Also formerly known as Court Street
Address: 812 G Street
Legal Description: East ½ Lot 73
Building: Union Block 1887
1872 Vacant lot owned by the State of Nebraska .
1882 State of Nebraska sold Lot 73 to Frank M. Bean.
1883 Frank M. Bean and wife sold the West ½ of Lot 73 to Sherwood Burr. Later the same year Mr. Burr sold it to George W. Smith.
1883 In June, an addition was built on the building next east of the post office. Mr. Jones planned to open a restaurant.
1883 In July, P. W. Jones opened a restaurant. Ice cream and lemonade were his specialties. The following year Jones purchased Cal Banes’ restaurant at 818 G.
1883 In October, Robinson and Bobbs opened a restaurant in the rooms recently occupied by P. W. Jones.
1885 W. H. Pardue rented the Jones restaurant building and moved his cigar factory there. He opened a temperance billiard room here.
1887 The Union Block was built by G. W. Smith and J. M. Fillebrown. It was a two-story brick building 48’ x 80’ with a full basement.
1887 J. M. Fillebrown bought the East ½ of Lot 73 from William H. and Marilyn Cooksey. He operated a “gent’s clothing store.”
1887 In December, M. Berdolt & Son purchased Mr. Fillebrown’s gent’s clothing store.
1892 The Sanborn Maps showed this as a store that sold boots, shoes, and clothing.
1892 M. Berdolt & Son moved their clothing store to 918 G Street.
1893 In January, J. H. Dempster moved his clothing stock into the rooms vacated by Berdolt & Sons.
1893 In February, J. H. Dempster moved his clothing stock into the old Fiegenbaum building at 848 G.
1893 In September, E. Broquet secured the east room of the Union block for his dry goods and clothing stock.
1894 In January, E. Broquet sold his stock to Byron Mershon, proprietor of the Nickel Plate store. All lines of goods were to be reduced in order to move the stock to the Geneva National Bank building, which was being fitted up. The grocery department was in the Opera block and the dry goods were located in the Union block. They were to move both stocks to the new room in the Geneva National Bank Building in February because of the fire and explosion in the Fisher building last August.
1894 In February, Byron Mershon advertised the Nickel Plate store at 858 G.
1894 In November, Byron Merson advertised the Nickel Plate store at the Union block.
1894 In December, J. M. Fillebrown sold east ½ of lot 73 to H. L. Smith.
1897 The Sanborn Maps showed a general store here.
1898 In January, the Nickel Plate store had a going away sale of their stock, fixtures and delivery wagon.
1898 The W. I. Carson and Byron Mershon stores were entered by burglars. Tools taken from Shuster’s blacksmith shop were used to break in.
1898 In February, Mrs. Mershon closed out the balance of the Nickel Plate stock at auction and vacated the building.
1898 In March, the Mershon family moved to Grinnell, Iowa.
1898 In June, W. D. Post of Lincoln, rented the east room of the Union Block vacated by Byron Mershon and opened a general merchandise store--Farmers' Exchange. It sold clothing, shoes, hats, and groceries. E. Z. Post exchanged eggs and butter.
1900 In March, W. D. Post, manager of the Farmers Exchange Store, retired from business on account of health reasons. Mr. and Mrs. Post returned to Lincoln, however Miss E. (Edna) Z. Post and Carl Post remained in Geneva to conduct the store. Miss Lillian Post assisted part of the time.
1900 In May, the Thompson Bros. bought the stock of the Farmers Exchange Store in the Union block. They moved their Racket Store stock from 884 G to the building and consolidated the two.
1901 In March, the Farmers Exchange Store, Thompson Bros. Co. proprietors, moved to the Woodworth building (954 G) recently vacated by W. I. Carson.
1902 On March 1st, Thompson Bros. moved their goods to the Isabel building for an auction. Anything not auctioned was sold to Dittmar and Sisler.
1902 In August, the Sanborn Maps showed this building as a general store.
1902 In August, Fanny E. Moseley bought the East ½ of Lot 73 at a Sheriff’s sale.
1902 D. B. Bentley sold his business to C. C. Hosack.
1902 In November, Mr. Hosack changed the business to a pool hall and moved it to west ½ of Lot 73.
1903 In April, H. S. Glasscock of Weber, KS leased the east room in the Union block for three years and made preparations to install a regulation bowling alley. The building was lengthened to give room for an alley the regulation length.
1903 In May, Henry Glasscock was granted a license for a bowling alley.
1904 Joel F. Morris bought the fixtures from Harry Glasscock’s bowling alley. InIn May, he was granted a bowling alley license.
1904 In October, Mr. Ritlarik, father-in-law of A. Barnas, and proprietor of Wilber Brewery bought the property.
1904 In November, Joel Morris took up his bowling alleys in the Union Block and stored them.
1904 In November, Barnas & Prokop moved their store into the East ½ of the Union block basement. Their former location was 116 No. 10th Street.
1904 By Dec. Joel Morris vacated his bowling alley and held a dance.
1904 Anton Barnas bought the interest of his partner, Mike Prokop, of the firm of Barnas & Prokop. Mr. Prokop went to Bonesteel, South Dakota, to open a harness business.
1905 Russell Lyman completed the purchase of the East ½ of the Union block from the Wilber Brewing Co. Mr. Lyman expected to move his saloon into this property about the first of June. Mr. Lyman had been in this location for three years. Prior to that time, he occupied the building at 126 No. 9th. He obtained a permit from the council to move his saloon to the Union block. Barnas & Prokop continued their harness shop in the basement.
1905 In August, Anton Barnas purchased the James Camp building. He planned to move his harness shop to that room as soon as the current occupant, Elmer Waite, could locate a suitable room for his barber shop.
1905 George Hess prepared to move his cigar factory into the front room upstairs in the east part of the Union Block, which was purchased by Russell Lyman.
1905 In August, T. . C. Patterson returned from Fairmont and purchased the cigar factory from George Hess. Mr. Hess returned to Hebron to work at the Mitchell Cigar factory.
1906 In May, T. C. Patterson moved his cigar factory from the Union block to the building on Center street vacated by C. E. Hyde at 125 No. 9th.
1907 Lou Hardwicke purchased the East ½ of Lot 73 from Russell Lyman and wife.
1907 Lou Hardwicke was granted a liquor license for an establishment at the East ½ of Lot 73.
1908 The Elk Cafe, owned by Lou Hardwicke, opened here. Lou Hardwicke was granted a liquor license for this location.
1908 G. R. Woods purchased the East ½ of Lot 73 from Lou Hardwicke and wife, and then sold it to Richard Sherbondy.
1909 The Sanborn maps showed this as a restaurant.
1910 Russell Lyman became the owner of the building occupied by Lou Hardwicke and the Elk Cafe.
1912 In March, Mohrman moved his groceries and queensware here from 996 G to close them out.
1912 In June, Harry Ford proprietor, opened an ice cream parlor and confectionery in the east room of the Union block--Ford’s Place. A soda fountain was put in and the room was completely redecorated and furnished. This business was also advertised as the Palace of Sweets. Jack W. Davis was the expert soda dispenser. Pine Apple Ice and fresh cantaloupe sundaes were a couple of their specialties.
1915 In September, White’s Grocery was located here. It is possible that the business was located here before this date, but could not find any reference to it before this time. They sold Lincoln Pure Butter.
1915 In December, A. W. Pickering of Lincoln purchased the grocery store owned by Paul W. White. This was located “first door west of the picture show.”
1916 In March, L. M. Shepardson of University Place, purchased the stock of A. W. Pickering and moved to the building occupied by Sisler & Hourigan at 942 G Street.
1916 In May, the Calumet Cafe, R. F. Hanlin proprietor, moved his cafe into the room formerly occupied by Shepardson’s Grocery.
1918 William Reese purchased the East ½ of Lot 73 from W. F. Nelson and wife.
1920 In May, Hanlin moved the Calumet Cafe to 824 G.
1920 In May, Bert Laurine and Harley McMahan were granted a pool hall license.
1920 James O’Brien leased the property and opened a pool hall called the Green Turtle.
1922 The Sanborn Maps showed this as a pool hall..
1924 James O’Brien operated a pool hall here.
1925 James O’Brien was granted a license to have a billiard parlor here.
1929 James O’Brien put in a new soda fountain. Cold drinks could then be served.
1931 James O’Brien installed an electric sign over his business.
1933 The Sanborn Maps showed this as a store.
1935 The Geneva city council approved the liquor license of James O’Brien for this location.
1936 Lewis Coleman sold the East ½ of Lot 73 to Fred Picard.
1936 On July 28, a fire destroyed the west ½ of the building.
1937 Fred Picard let a contract to Frank Murphy for the erection of a new business block to replace the one destroyed by fire.
1937 The Safeway Corporation opened a new store here in the East ½ of Lot 73.
1937 A modern glass front was put in the new Eric Johnson building in the west business block. Marquees were put on the Johnson and Picard building next door.
1940 Safeway moved to 966 G Street.
1940 An annual Fall Festival was held. Corn and sorghum exhibits were displayed in the Picard Building.
1941 Many bake sales and bazaars were conducted from the vacant Picard Building. Also the annual Fall Festival was based there.
1942-43 During the construction of the air bases at Fairmont and Ohiowa, Consumer Public Power District was building 4.5 miles of line in Fillmore and Thayer counties. In order to care for their employees, they installed a sleeping room with fifty beds in the former Safeway store building in the west block. (A commissary for those workers was in the former Camp building in the east block.)
1943 The Sanborn Maps showed this as a store.
1944 This building was used for dances, rummage sales, and bake sales.
1949 Carl Schneider was appointed trustee of the Fred Picard Estate Trust which included the East ½ of Lot 73.
1949 Use of the building was unknown.
1961 The Appliance Service Store owned and operated by R. D. (Scooter) Franck was in business here. He moved his business to his home about 1965.
1965 In April, Owen Cartwright moved his TV and Appliance store to 812 G.
1965 In November, Owen and Frances Cartwright purchased E ½ of Lot from Carl and Mildred Schneider.
1966 In May, Cartwright sold his TV and Appliance business to Louis and Max Lichti. Owen Cartwright went to work for the post office.
1966 Mrs. Cartwright continued the Montgomery Wards Catalog business here.
1973 The House of Hair beauty shop opened here. Carol Frey was the proprietor.
1974 Carol Frey sold the House of Hair beauty shop to Vicky Girmus.
1975 W. W. Biegert bought the East ½ of Lot 73 from Owen and Frances Cartwright.
1977 Vicky Girmus, owner of the House of Hair, moved her business to 1311 J Street.
1977 Steve and Nancy Seward bought the East ½ of Lot 73 from W. W. Biegert. They opened a doorway into the east half of the building where the dining/party room was located. The bar area remained in the west building. This was part of Anchor Inn.
Note: At this point, the entire building was referred to as 808 G Street. See 806/808 G for further history.